LSU Football Officially Signs SEC Transfer Quarterback Michael Van Buren

The Tigers secure the coveted youngster, heads to Baton Rouge after a one-year stint with Mississippi State.

Oct 12, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. (0) throws a pass against the Georgia Bulldogs in the third quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Brian Kelly and the LSU football staff have received the paperwork for Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr.

The transfer signal-caller will join the Tigers after one season in Starkville where he completed his true freshman campaign.

Van Buren recently wrapped up his lone season at Mississippi State where he started the final eight games of the season for the Bulldogs.

In 10 appearances as a true freshman in 2024, Van Buren completed 140-of-256 passes for 1,886 yards and 11 touchdowns. He added another five rushing TDs for the Bulldogs.

He was named SEC Freshman of the Week against Georgia when he completed 20-of-37 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns.

The Georgia contest began a three-game stretch for Van Buren where he threw for eight touchdowns. He followed the Georgia game with 242 passing yards and three touchdowns against Texas A&M and then threw for a career-best 309 yards and two scores against Arkansas.

He closed his rookie season at Mississippi State with 280 passing yards and two TDs (1 rushing, 1 passing) against Ole Miss.

The Path to the Boot

Transfer quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. is officially a Tiger! pic.twitter.com/ojn8ffl345

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) December 16, 2024

Van Buren was a four-star recruit from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, choosing Mississippi State over Oregon. He helped St. Frances Academy to back-to-back national Top 10 finishes in 2021 and 2022.

Van Buren becomes the fifth transfer portal signee for the Tigers for the 2025 season.

Who else has LSU signed this offseason?

Meet the Signees: Week 1 Portal Edition

Bauer Sharp... LSU picked up its first roster addition from the transfer portal on Friday as tight end Bauer Sharp has signed with the program. Sharp joins the Tigers after spending the 2024 season at Oklahoma where he led the Sooners in receptions and yards. Sharp’s final game at OU came two weeks ago in Tiger Stadium when he caught one pass for four yards in the Sooners’ 37-17 loss to LSU.

Prior to his year at Oklahoma, Sharp spent three years at Southeastern Louisiana. He signed with the Lions as a quarterback out of high school before transitioning to tight end as a redshirt freshman in 2022. In his one season at Oklahoma, Sharp started all 12 games for the Sooners, leading the team in both receptions (42) and yards (324). He scored two TDs.

Ja'Keem Jackson... Ja’Keem Jackson, a season-opening starter at cornerback for Florida this year, has signed with LSU. He comes to LSU after two years at Florida where he appeared in 13 games recording 11 tackles, four pass breakups and a quarterback hurry. He started the first two games of the 2024 season at cornerback for Florida before an ankle injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year.

In 2023 as a true freshman, Jackson appeared in 11 games, tallying seven tackles and three pass breakups. A native of Kissimmee, Fla., Jackson was a consensus four-star prospect at Osceola High School where he was named an ESPN Top 300 player and rated as the nation’s No. 3 overall cornerback by On3. As a senior, he helped lead his team to a 10-4 record and a semifinal appearance in the Florida high school playoffs.

Barion Brown... This is a big one for the Bayou Bengals. Brown is a Top-15 overall transfer in the portal with the program now locking in one of the top receivers available in the college version of free agency. Brown, a speedster who torches opponents with his freakish athleticism, heads to Baton Rouge with 122 career receptions for 1,528 total yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons of college football.

The former Top-100 recruit has track speed that cannot be taught and it's what has made him a lethal weapon in Kentucky's offense over the last three years. Brown's five kick return touchdowns is an SEC record where he will become an instant impact player in the special teams facet for the Tigers

Jimari Butler... Jimari Butler, a standout defensive lineman during his four years at Nebraska, has signed with LSU. He appeared in 37 games for the Cornhuskers, starting 16 times, including 10 in 2024. He comes to LSU with 65 career tackles to go along with 17 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.

In 2024, Butler tallied 22 tackles, seven tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. During his All-Big Ten season in 2023, he had 34 tackles and led the team in both tackles for loss (8.5) and sacks (5.5). He was a key part of the 2023 Nebraska defense that limited opponents to 92.9 rushing yards per game and 18.3 points per game, the fewest for the program since joining the Big Ten in 2011.

LSU also received a commitment from Florida transfer Jack Pyburn on Monday with the university working through the behind the scenes pieces to make the coveted edge rusher official with LSU.

More LSU News:

The LSU Transfer Portal Update: Who's in? Who's out?

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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